Passover 2002–2005

[ozgirl06]

Gifted-

http://www.jewishfood-list.com/recipes/pes...vegn_index.html

http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/rfcj/category...SACH-vegetarian

Thanks so much for supply those websites! My mother (in Atlanta) called me last night to brainstorm on recipes for a vegan guest coming for Shabbat dinner just prior to the chag. We came up with a couple of ideas that are tried and true recipes, but these websites provided great new ideas. Her vegan guest will likely be beside himself with the choices available to him. I have often wondered how vegans make it through the pesach week - especially if they don't eat kitneyot. It can't be easy.

[Fat Guy]

Rabbi Ribeye speaks! (In The Daily Gullet)

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[bloviatrix]

Reading that piece brings back a whole well of Passover memories. Until my early 20s we would go to my mom's sister in Bensonhurst (bklyn) for the seders. There would be 13 of us staying and assorted other cousins showing up just for the seder (we would be 25). The festivities were not just at the seder but during the afternoons as well when the house would fill up with relatives who lived in the neighborhood (and there were a lot of them) who stopped by for tea and cake.

Now, I go to my in-laws and it's not the same (my parents go to a resort in upstate NY). I miss the singing. I miss grandma's chremzel. I miss the annual political arguments. Mostly I miss being part of a large noisy, crazy family where cousins still throw in your face the stupid things you did when you were 10 .

[clothier]

Right about now I need an "aargh!!!" emoticon. Spoke with the mil last night and the woman shot down every single one of my ideas.

Why do I bother?

I feel your pain.

I was making dessert ( it was a maccaroon inspired "cake" that I was still working out the details on) when I got a phone call from my Mom. My sister in law found this recipe for some dessert, and she really wants to make it, says my Mom.

Would that be ok?

My head said no, damn it, it's not ok, I've been working on this for a week now, but my mouth said "sure no problem. "

So now I'm making, um, nothing.

I love the holidays, it's my relatives that I can't stand.

[bloviatrix]

Clothier -- why not make the dessert anyway and serve only to your immediate family. Afterall, the holidays are 8 days. And since it's part of a religious celebration there are no calories. Splurge a little.

[clothier]

that's a great idea, but my wife is on a diet, and the boys, well, they'd rather have ice cream

[Mayhaw Man]

Thank you Mark.

Another beautiful read. A true pleasure.

On a lighter note-What kind of act did Auntie Levin do with the poodles? Hoops? Dog Carts? Talking Dogs? This is the kind of knowledge that I seem to have an endless thirst for ( a major fault in my upbringing and a constant source of bemused dissappointment for my mother ).

[challah-baker]

This is from the internet, of course:

With Pesach soon upon them, the Jewish community in Madrid found themselves in a desperate situation. There was an acute shortage of horseradish. (Now many of you may know that horseradish is the key seder ingredient, and not only  that fiery condiment for gefilte fish, and which is also known as chrain).

A hue and cry arose and the entire community was mobilized in an effort to prevent this shonda (shame, tragedy). All the European Union Countries gave them the same reply, "Sorry, we have none to send." In desperation, the Rabbi phoned one of his Yeshiva friends in Tel Aviv and begged him to send a crate of horseradish by air freight to Madrid.

Two days before Pesach, a crate of grade Aleph, tear-jerking, Israelihorseradish was loaded at Ben Gurion Airport onto the EL Al 789 flight to Madrid, and all seemed to be well. Unfortunately, when the Rabbi went to the Madrid Airport to claim the horseradish he was informed that a wildcat strike had just broken out and no shipments would be unloaded for at

least four days.

As a result: The chrain in Spain stayed mainly on the plane.

-------

Maybe Il Buli had some chrain foam they could have sent?

[JFLinLA]

As a result: The chrain in Spain stayed mainly on the plane.

-------

Maybe Il Buli had some chrain foam they could have sent?

Oy vey. Pass the neurosis.

Actually, I remember as a kid going to my grandmother's house. She had remarried after my grandfather had died and she, her numerous step-daughters, along with my mother were in a whirlwind of activity in the kitchen. There were tables set-up zig-zagging in the dining room and living room. There were my 2 brothers and my boy cousins. My cousin Laurie and I were the only girls and, except for my brothers, we were the youngest. I remember mostly hanging out underneath the kids table with Laurie while the boys did their best to torment us though we did come up to the table for the Four Questions and other high points. For the second hand-washing, Grandpa would disappear into the bathroom for a very long time. Only years later did I figure out that the ladies had already prepared enough packages of afikomen for each and every kid. They hid them during this long bathroom break. After returning them to Grandpa later in the evening, we never received our reward that night. I seem to remember him at our house some time after Pesach, spinning quarters or Kennedy half-dollars on the floor which was our payment.

I'll be making Grandma's farfel muffins which is how I remember her most this time of year. I'll be making lots of other things too. I probably got my love of cooking from her.

I hope Elijah visits your home and that you all find the afikomen.

[Rabbi Ribeye]

Thank you Mark.

Another beautiful read. A true pleasure.

On a lighter note-What kind of act did Auntie Levin do with the poodles? Hoops? Dog Carts? Talking Dogs? This is the kind of knowledge that I seem to have an endless thirst for ( a major fault in my upbringing and a constant source of bemused dissappointment for my mother ).

Thank you for your kind comments.

Auntie Levin was a pistol. I remember her well and learned many raunchy stories about her from my grandmother, who came under her tutelage when she arrived alone in Chicago from Suvalk (Suwalki) as a greenhorn at age 16. (My great-grandparents came to America some years later.)

Auntie Levin and Uncle Ellis (my pious great-grandfather's brother) ate pork chops, practiced free sex and had an open marriage. They quickly indoctrinated my grandmother, but ironically, it turned her into a prude. Kosher laws never did anything for her throughout the years, but the specter of pork sent her ballistic. Go figure.

Now to the poodle act: The answer is that the two poodles, Teddy and Moody, did all of the above and then some. I have two pictures of Auntie and my grandmother posing with them and will post them as soon as I get done preparing for Pesach.

In her earlier youth, Auntie Levin was even more flamboyant. In the 1893 Columbian Exposition she had an act in which she peeled and ate a banana standing on her head (a portend of a sexual proclivity?) -- underwater!

[clothier]

Right about now I need an "aargh!!!" emoticon.  Spoke with the mil last night and the woman shot down every single one of my ideas.

Why do I bother?

I feel your pain.

I was making dessert ( it was a maccaroon inspired "cake" that I was still working out the details on) when I got a phone call from my Mom. My sister in law found this recipe for some dessert, and she really wants to make it, says my Mom.

Would that be ok?

My head said no, damn it, it's not ok, I've been working on this for a week now, but my mouth said "sure no problem. "

So now I'm making, um, nothing.

I love the holidays, it's my relatives that I can't stand.

So, I just found out my Mom has been lurking around the site.

Mom, I still love you, and I know it's not your fault. You didn't marry her.

OK?

[SarahB]

I'm hoping that some wise person on this thread -- and there seem to be quite a few -- might be able to point me in the right direction. I've been assigned dessert for one of the seders and my preference would be to make something other than sponge cake.

My task, though, is tricky. First of all, there will be people at the seder with chocolate and serious nut allergies, so I need to be careful on that account.

Secondly, although this seder I'm going to mostly reflects Ashkenazi traditions, I would like to make something that relates to my family's heritage. My father's father -- down the wrong path times two, I know -- was an Iraqi Jew and I would love to make something that comes from that tradition. I have no real idea of where to start looking for recipes.

Any guidance that people could offer would be greatly appreciated.

[bloviatrix]

What about poaching pears? I just tried a new kosher dessert wine from Tierra Salvaje called Yecla Dulce which would make a fantastic poaching medium. You can also make a poaching liquid with a medium bodied red, add some sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon peel, clove, etc. White wine works as well, but I like the red color.

Along those lines, I've also poached apricots in late harvest reisling with a vanilla bean. It's very rich.

My final though it to make individual meringues - bowl shaped. Then, macerate quartered strawberries in a balsamic vinegar with infused with a vanilla bean and some sugar. Place the strawberries and some liquid in the meringue.

[KatieLoeb]

There's a recipe for Passover Baklava Right Here

And another recipe for Spiced Dates with Mascarpone Cheese HERE

Either of therse could probably work

Or find a Middle Eastern dessert cookbook and find a recipe that doesn't have any chametz in it. I have a great book called Patisserie of the Middle East, but I can't think of anything off the top of my head since many of the recipes are phyllo based. But I'm sure there's something fruit based in there somewhere.

[Gifted Gourmet]

There's a recipe for Passover Baklava Right Here

And another recipe for Spiced Dates with Mascarpone Cheese HERE

I really think I may want to try to make this Passover Baklava, Katie! Thanks for this!

Anything with mascarpone cheese might be problematic when many eat meat for their seder entree ...

Have often made wine poached Passover pears (in an homemade ersatz sangria) with a chocolate filling (parve) which was well received .... and then there is a Syrian nutcake which has distinct possibilities ...

http://www.foodstyles.com/Desserts/syrian_nut_cake.htm

Edited April 1, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[Pan]

Another beautiful article, Marc!

[KatieLoeb]

Anything with mascarpone cheese might be problematic when many eat meat for their seder entree ...

This is true, but I guess I was just thinking of the statistical sample of michpoche that I know. Most of them will clean the house and keep "kosher-for-Passover", but normally don't keep kashruth anyhow, so it isn't an issue. They'll still eat a bacon cheeseburger with no bun during the holiday, for example...

The Syrian Nutcake recipe looks delicious, but SarahB mentioned people with nut allergies so I wouldn't want to risk it. Even if it's just peanuts and not walnuts or almonds or whatever, a case of anaphylactic shock and a visit from the paramedics can cast such a pall over the Seder, don't you think?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Anything with mascarpone cheese might be problematic when many eat meat for their seder entree ...

This is true, but I guess I was just thinking of the statistical sample of michpoche that I know. Most of them will clean the house and keep "kosher-for-Passover", but normally don't keep kashruth anyhow, so it isn't an issue. They'll still eat a bacon cheeseburger with no bun during the holiday, for example...

The Syrian Nutcake recipe looks delicious, but SarahB mentioned people with nut allergies so I wouldn't want to risk it. Even if it's just peanuts and not walnuts or almonds or whatever, a case of anaphylactic shock and a visit from the paramedics can cast such a pall over the Seder, don't you think?

The paramedics do indeed cast a pall over the Seder and I can identify with those who skip the buns on their bacon cheeseburgers, Katie! I once had a friend who tried to convince me that by removing the noodles from Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, it would be kosher for Pesach ... at the time it sounded logical enough, but in retrospect, I can see the fallacy of the friend's argument ....

Perhaps we were separated at birth??

Edited April 1, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Perhaps we were separated at birth?? 

Could be. Stranger things have happened

[Gifted Gourmet]

Perhaps we were separated at birth?? 

Could be. Stranger things have happened

I would consider it a distinct honor to be even remotely related to such a wine afficianado, Katie!

Now trying to decide on whether it would be totally p.c. of me to try out the California charoset variation among the myriad variations possible, and we could offer it in a hottub to recall our days of slavery in Marin! ..

[KatieLoeb]

Perhaps we were separated at birth?? 

Could be. Stranger things have happened

I would consider it a distinct honor to be even remotely related to such a wine afficianado, Katie!

Now trying to decide on whether it would be totally p.c. of me to try out the California charoset variation among the myriad variations possible, and we could offer it in a hottub to recall our days of slavery in Marin! ..

Gee thanks! I think we would definitely have some fun at our "family" gatherings, don't you?

I like the idea of mellow and laid back Northern California style slavery. We must celebrate our freedom from bondage and the cruel taskmasters that forced us to carry bushels of grapes, roll joints until our fingers bled and open the corks on thousands of bottles of wine!

[Gifted Gourmet]

I like the idea of mellow and laid back Northern California style slavery.  We must celebrate our freedom from bondage and the cruel taskmasters that forced us to carry bushels of grapes, roll joints until our fingers bled and open the corks on thousands of bottles of wine!

You realize that we are getting into a kind of rhythm here, Katie!

Who will split San Francisco Bay beneath the Golden Gate Bridge so that we may pass-over into the "promised land" that is hippie heaven, namely Berkeley?? Perhaps Alice Waters (no pun intended??) will split the Bay??

and how shall we make our journey with our alfalfa sprouts tucked beneath our arms and our trendy Chez Panisse seasonal produce on our backs?

[bloviatrix]

Anything with mascarpone cheese might be problematic when many eat meat for their seder entree ...

This is true, but I guess I was just thinking of the statistical sample of michpoche that I know. Most of them will clean the house and keep "kosher-for-Passover", but normally don't keep kashruth anyhow, so it isn't an issue. They'll still eat a bacon cheeseburger with no bun during the holiday, for example...

The Syrian Nutcake recipe looks delicious, but SarahB mentioned people with nut allergies so I wouldn't want to risk it. Even if it's just peanuts and not walnuts or almonds or whatever, a case of anaphylactic shock and a visit from the paramedics can cast such a pall over the Seder, don't you think?

The paramedics do indeed cast a pall over the Seder and I can identify with those who skip the buns on their bacon cheeseburgers, Katie! I once had a friend who tried to convince me that by removing the noodles from Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, it would be kosher for Pesach ... at the time it sounded logical enough, but in retrospect, I can see the fallacy of the friend's argument ....

Perhaps we were separated at birth??

Oh man, flashback time. I still remember Passover during my freshman year of college. They served matzoh in the dining halls. Kids were eating ham sandwiches, but it was on matzoh which made it okay.

(Note: I didn't enter the dining hall during Passover, I ate at the Young Israel. But I got reports.)

[KatieLoeb]

I like the idea of mellow and laid back Northern California style slavery.  We must celebrate our freedom from bondage and the cruel taskmasters that forced us to carry bushels of grapes, roll joints until our fingers bled and open the corks on thousands of bottles of wine!

You realize that we are getting into a kind of rhythm here, Katie!

Who will split San Francisco Bay beneath the Golden Gate Bridge so that we may pass-over into the "promised land" that is hippie heaven, namely Berkeley?? Perhaps Alice Waters (no pun intended??) will split the Bay??

and how shall we make our journey with our alfalfa sprouts tucked beneath our arms and our trendy Chez Panisse seasonal produce on our backs?

:laugh:

Yeah, but which one of us is the "straight man"??

[Gifted Gourmet]

  Kids were eating ham sandwiches, but it was on matzoh which made it okay. 

and, sad to say, I just may have been such a kid .... and not of the Chad Gadya variety!!

Fortunately, under the guidance of wise rabbis who shall remain nameless, I learned the "error of my ways" and have reformed ... no, wait, I was Reformed, now more aware of the ramifications of kashrut ....